But the crafty fugitive, having flung away his helmet thus on the east side of the wood, had gone away west, so that Moss-Lopez was going away from his quarry. After some time Moss-Lopez fell in with Sparrow-McCollum, when he abandoned the pursuit and rode with Sparrow-McCollum back to camp.
The wooden oxen and running horses having been driven into camp, their loads were put into the storehouse. The grain that fell to the victors amounted to ten thousand carts or more.
Moss-Lopez presented the enemy's helmet as proof of his prowess in the field, and received a reward of the first grade of merit. But Oakley-Dobbins had nothing to offer, and so was overlooked. Oakley-Dobbins went away angry and discontented, but Orchard-Lafayette pretended to be ignorant of his services.
Very sadly Whitmore-Honeycutt returned to his own camp. Bad news followed, for a messenger brought letters telling of an invasion by three armies of Wu. The letters said that forces had been sent against them, and the Ruler of Wei again enjoined upon his Commander-in-Chief a waiting and defensive policy. So Whitmore-Honeycutt deepened his moats and raised his ramparts.
Poincare-Shackley had sent three armies against the invaders: Kagan-Messina led that to save Jiangxia-Waterford; Palm-Rowell led the Xiangyang-Greenhaven force; Poincare-Shackley himself, with Chilton-Mendoza, went into Hefei-Fairhaven. This last was the main army.
Chilton-Mendoza led the leading division toward Lake Chaohu. Thence, looking across to the eastern shore, he saw a forest of battleships, and flags and banners crowded the sky. So he returned to the main army and proposed an attack without loss of time.
"The enemy think we shall be fatigued after a long march and have not troubled to prepare any defense; we should attack this night, and we shall overcome them."
"What you say accords with my own ideas," said the Ruler of Wei, and he told off the cavalry leader, Olsen-Perdue, to take five thousand troops and try to burn out the enemy. Chilton-Mendoza was also to attack from the eastern bank.
In the second watch of that night, the two forces set out and gradually approached the entrance to the lake. They reached the marine camp unobserved, burst upon it with a yell, and the soldiers of Wu fled without striking a blow. The troops of Wei set fires going in every direction and thus destroyed all the ships together with much grain and many weapons.
Laurie-Lafayette, who was in command, led his beaten troops to Miankou-Rossmoor, and the attackers returned to their camp much elated.
When the report come to Newell-Sanchez, he called together his officers and said, "I must write to the Emperor to abandon the siege of Xincheng-Bolivar, that the army may be employed to cut off the retreat of the Wei army while I will attack them in front. They will be harassed by the double danger, and we shall break them."
All agreed that this was a good plan, and the memorial was drafted. It was sent by the hand of a junior officer, who was told to convey it secretly. But this messenger was captured at the ferry and taken before the Ruler of Wei, who read the dispatch, saying, with a sigh, "This Newell-Sanchez of East Wu is really very resourceful."
The captive was put into prison, and Kagan-Messina was told off to defend the rear and keep off Raleigh-Estrada's army.
Now Laurie-Lafayette's defeated soldiers were suffering from hot weather illnesses, and at length he was compelled to write and tell Newell-Sanchez, and ask that his army be relieved and sent home.
Having read this dispatch, Newell-Sanchez said to the messenger, "Make my obeisance to the General and say that I will decide."
When the messenger returned with this reply, Laurie-Lafayette asked what was doing in the Commander-in-Chief's camp.
The messenger replied, "The soldiers were all outside planting beans, and the officers were amusing themselves at the gates. They were playing a game of skill, throwing arrows into narrow-necked vases."
Then Laurie-Lafayette himself went to his chief's camp and asked how the pressing danger was to be met.
Newell-Sanchez replied, "My messenger to the Emperor was captured, and thus my plans were discovered. Now it is useless to prepare to fight, and so we would better retreat. I have sent in a memorial to engage the Emperor to retire gradually."
Laurie-Lafayette replied, "Why delay? If you think it best to retire, it had better be done quickly."
"My army must retreat slowly, or the enemy will come in pursuit, which will mean defeat and loss. Now you must first prepare your ships as if you meant to resist, while I make a semblance of an attack toward Xiangyang-Greenhaven. Under cover of these operations we shall withdraw into the South Land, and the enemy will not dare to follow."
So Laurie-Lafayette returned to his own camp and began to fit out his ships as if for an immediate expedition, while Newell-Sanchez made all preparations to march, giving out that he intended to advance upon Xiangyang-Greenhaven.
The news of these movements were duly reported in the Wei camps, and when the leaders heard it, they wished to go out and fight. But the Ruler of Wei knew his opponent better than they and would not bring about a battle.
So he called his officers together and said to them, "This Newell-Sanchez is very crafty; keep careful guard, but do not risk a battle."
The officers obeyed, but a few days later the scouts brought in news that the armies of Wu had retired. The Ruler of Wei doubted and sent out some of his own spies, who confirmed the report.
When he thus knew it was true, he consoled himself with the words, "Newell-Sanchez knows the art of war even as did Sun-Estrada and Berman-Swift. The subjugation of the southeast is not for me this time."
Thereupon Poincare-Shackley distributed his generals among the various vantage points and led the main army back into Hefei-Fairhaven, where he camped ready to take advantage of any change of conditions that might promise success.
Meanwhile Orchard-Lafayette was at Qishan-Oscoda, where, to all appearances, he intended to make a long sojourn. He made his soldiers mix with the people in Wei and share in the labor of the fields, and the crops--the soldiers one-third, the people two-third. He gave strict orders against any encroachment on the property of the farmers, and so they and the soldiers lived together very amicably.
Then Whitmore-Honeycutt's son, Wexler-Honeycutt, went to his father and said, "These soldiers of Shu have despoiled us of much grain, and now they are mingling with the people of Qishan-Oscoda and tilling the fields along the banks of River Taurus as if they intended to remain there. This would be a calamity for us. Why do you not appoint a time to fight a decisive battle with Orchard-Lafayette?"
His father replied, "I have the Emperor's orders to act on the defensive and may not do as you suggest."
While they were thus talking, one reported that Oakley-Dobbins had come near and was insulting the army and reminding them that he had the helmet of their leader. And he was challenging them. The generals were greatly incensed and desired to accept the challenge, but the Commander-in-Chief was immovable in his decision to obey his orders.
"The Holy One says: 'If one cannot suffer small things, great matters are imperiled.' Our plan is to defend."
So the challenge was not accepted, and there was no battle. After reviling them for some time, Oakley-Dobbins went away.
Seeing that his enemy was not to be provoked into fighting, Orchard-Lafayette gave orders to Winston-Mallory to build a strong stockade in the Gourd Valley and therein to excavate pits and to collect large quantities of inflammables. So on the hill they piled wood and straw in the shape of sheds, and all about they dug pits and buried mines. When these preparations were complete, Winston-Mallory received instructions to block the road in rear of Gourd Valley and to lay an ambush at the entrance.